Best places to live in Ohio

The 32 Ohio cities and towns of 20,000+ where people are moving in, ranked on growth, commute times and cost, using Census data. Looking for the lowest prices instead? See the cheapest places to live in Ohio.

By Sol Lakein, founder of Slower Sundays. Updated November 2026.

Marysville#1 pickScore 70 of 100
MarysvilleFastest growing+17.9% since 2020
FindlayShortest commute16.1 min average

The top 3 in Ohio

#1Score 70
Marysville
Growth
+17.9%
Home value
$300,800
Commute
24 min
#2Score 63
Athens
Growth
+6.3%
Home value
$247,000
Commute
16 min
#3Score 53
Delaware
Growth
+12.9%
Home value
$318,400
Commute
26 min

The 10 best places to live in Ohio

Score out of 100. Values and rents are Census medians for each city or town.

#	Place	Score	Median home value	Median rent	Commute	Growth since 2020
1	Marysville	70	$300,800	$1,223	24.1 min	+17.9%
2	Athens	63	$247,000	$1,011	16.2 min	+6.3%
3	Delaware	53	$318,400	$1,286	25.6 min	+12.9%
4	Grove City	52	$310,400	$1,331	21.6 min	+9.5%
5	Findlay	52	$191,000	$975	16.1 min	+0.2%
6	Fairborn	52	$175,000	$977	21.2 min	+3.7%
7	Bowling Green	50	$226,100	$897	17.5 min	+1.2%
8	Troy	48	$217,400	$1,003	21.6 min	+3.8%
9	Pickerington	48	$339,600	$1,605	26.9 min	+14.1%
10	Xenia	47	$162,400	$931	24.6 min	+3.8%

Every Ohio city and town we ranked

See all 32, with scores

#	Place	Score	Median home value	Median rent	Commute	Growth since 2020	Population 2025
1	Marysville	70	$300,800	$1,223	24.1 min	+17.9%	30,190
2	Athens	63	$247,000	$1,011	16.2 min	+6.3%	25,313
3	Delaware	53	$318,400	$1,286	25.6 min	+12.9%	46,636
4	Grove City	52	$310,400	$1,331	21.6 min	+9.5%	45,180
5	Findlay	52	$191,000	$975	16.1 min	+0.2%	40,370
6	Fairborn	52	$175,000	$977	21.2 min	+3.7%	35,754
7	Bowling Green	50	$226,100	$897	17.5 min	+1.2%	31,182
8	Troy	48	$217,400	$1,003	21.6 min	+3.8%	27,344
9	Pickerington	48	$339,600	$1,605	26.9 min	+14.1%	26,333
10	Xenia	47	$162,400	$931	24.6 min	+3.8%	26,425
11	Newark	46	$192,300	$973	23.0 min	+3.0%	51,473
12	Lebanon	44	$290,200	$1,090	23.1 min	+6.0%	22,110
13	Middletown	43	$164,400	$1,007	24.2 min	+2.2%	52,146
14	North Ridgeville	43	$270,100	$1,116	26.0 min	+7.1%	37,786
15	Centerville	43	$287,200	$1,270	20.4 min	+4.2%	25,194
16	Columbus	42	$252,900	$1,295	21.5 min	+3.6%	938,396
17	Hamilton	42	$165,200	$1,007	24.5 min	+2.0%	64,644
18	Beavercreek	41	$279,600	$1,457	19.8 min	+3.4%	48,134
19	Cincinnati	40	$230,900	$1,001	22.4 min	+1.5%	314,367
20	Reynoldsburg	40	$244,300	$1,259	25.2 min	+5.5%	43,350
21	Huber Heights	39	$177,300	$1,258	22.7 min	+1.1%	43,905
22	Willoughby	38	$216,900	$1,171	22.7 min	+1.5%	24,234
23	Perrysburg	37	$329,700	$1,198	18.9 min	+1.5%	25,441
24	Wadsworth	37	$247,900	$1,067	24.3 min	+2.9%	24,720
25	Lancaster	36	$193,900	$1,083	27.7 min	+3.5%	41,956
26	Hilliard	30	$385,100	$1,632	21.9 min	+4.7%	38,898
27	Miamisburg	30	$231,300	$1,132	27.6 min	+2.4%	20,414
28	Green	28	$280,200	$1,228	23.7 min	+0.3%	27,553
29	Gahanna	27	$350,900	$1,466	20.4 min	+0.7%	35,986
30	Avon Lake	20	$368,300	$1,537	28.9 min	+5.1%	26,486
31	Avon	18	$395,900	$1,796	24.6 min	+3.1%	25,611
32	Mason	15	$426,200	$1,760	25.1 min	+3.0%	35,834

How we ranked them

This list is about where people are moving. Each growing place is scored against the others in the state on four Census measures, then weighted. Nothing about who lives in a place goes in.

Who makes the list: places that grew from 2020 to 2025 and whose median home value is at least 75% of the state's typical place ($161,663 in Ohio). Of 86 places, 46 lost population and 8 sit below that line, so they are left off this list. They are all on the cheapest places in Ohio page. Population growth counts births as well as moves.

Weight	Measure
45%	Population growth, 2020 to 2025
25%	Shorter commutes (mean travel time to work)
20%	Lower home values (median value of owner-occupied homes)
10%	Lower rent (median gross rent)

Places are incorporated cities and towns with at least 20,000 residents in July 2025. Unincorporated communities are left out because the Census population estimates do not cover them. Census reports home values of $2 million or more as $2,000,000+ and rents of $3,500 or more as $3,500+. A place with no figure on a measure gets half points on it. Home values are what owners estimate their homes are worth, averaged over 2020 to 2024, so they run below today's listing prices.

Statewide, Ohio has a top income tax rate of 2.75%, an effective property tax rate of 1.22% and a combined sales tax of 7.29%, and it does not tax Social Security. See property taxes by state and states with no income tax.

Weigh things differently? The quiz ranks cities on your own priorities.

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in Ohio?

On our ranking of the 32 growing Ohio cities and towns with 20,000 or more people, Marysville, followed by Athens and Delaware. Marysville has a median home value of $300,800, median rent of $1,223, an average commute of 24.1 min and grew +17.9% from 2020 to 2025 (US Census Bureau).

What is the fastest-growing city in Ohio?

Of the places we rank, Marysville, up +17.9% from the 2020 base to July 2025 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025).

Where in Ohio are commutes shortest?

Findlay, where the average trip to work takes 16.1 min (American Community Survey 2020-2024).

Do you rank places by who lives there?

No. The ranking uses population growth, commute times, home values and rent only. Nothing about who lives in a place goes in.

Why isn't the cheapest town in Ohio on this list?

This list ranks the places people are moving to. Places that lost population from 2020 to 2025, or whose median home value is below 75% of the state's typical place, are left off. Every place is on our cheapest places to live in Ohio page.

Find the cities that fit your family

Answer a few quick questions and get your shortlist, ranked on what you care about. Free, no account.

Find my cities

Sources for this page